http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/AdKenz/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from AdKenz en-us Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:42:02 +0000 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:42:02 +0000 Thursday 4413 We rose early and were again stunned by the amount of mud in our bikes nooks and crevices. After a few more wipe downs from front to back the bikes were clean enough and we left Peninsula Valdez northwards to Viedma passing windy flat paddocks and sparse cattle for 500km. We again noticed that the passing landscapes of Patagonia are becoming slightly greener as we head nor http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Palermo-Soho/blog-789352.html Thursday 21313 We woke up made breakfast and then packed up with full confidence that the town of Rio Gallegos would provide us with a new rear tyre and a mechanic to change Kenzs chain and sprocket perhaps we were expecting too much. We rode around to the Honda dealer we passed on the way into town yesterday but they had no tyres or mechanic. The other large shop in town a Yamaha http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Chubut/Punta-Tombo/blog-784127.html Thursday 7313 Knowing that we had absolutely nothing to do today meant we had a great nights sleep and even enjoyed a sleepin this morning. With our ferry tickets already booked and no mechanic in town we enjoyed the day walking around town and buying some snacks to take on the boat.It was pouring with rain tonight so we decided to make dinner in our hotel room. As the floor was carpe http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Tierra-del-Fuego/Ushuaia/blog-779708.html Saturday 23213 This morning we woke up and did some quick shopping before leaving the northern Chilean city of Calama. Kenzs blowup mattress has been leaking recently through the valve and it no longer stayed inflated for the whole night. We went to the local hardware store and bought a 10 replacement which looks the business it has been encouragingly nicknamed Cloud 9. As we http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Chile/Los-Lagos/Puerto-Montt/blog-777662.html Wednesday 13022013 The weather in Arica last night and today was perfect that nice temperature where you can walk around in shorts and tshirt without worrying about getting sun burnt or getting too cool. With grim determination we left town at about 9am and rode along the coast with the ever present northern Chilean desert and sand dunes surrounding us. Todays journey was interposed http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Chile/Antofagasta-Region/San-Pedro-de-Atacama/blog-775931.html Friday 010213 Another day with a border crossing meant another day with an early start. We rode out of Puno and followed the southern shores of Lake Titicaca. Often we passed women or boys wearing thongs while herding goats or llamas along the lakes edge where the small snow drifts and ice still clung to clumps of grass and bushes. We approached the Desaguadero border and were pulled over http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/La-Paz-Department/La-Paz/blog-774812.html Monday 14113 Realising we had a border crossing to attempt today we rose early and hit the road. We headed south towards the well signed frontier. With no customs or immigration office on the Ecuadorian side we rode about 4kms into Peru and stopped at their immigration building which turned out to also be the Ecuador immigration building. We were told that we must have ridden past Ecuado http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Puno/Lake-Titicaca-/Uros-Island/blog-773228.html Tuesday 1113 We were bleary eyed but excited this morning as we took the hotel shuttle to the airport. After some unsuccessful attempts at small talk with the driver we arrived and went through the monotonous motions of airport travel. Eventually we were on the plane and flying towards the Galapagos Islands located about 1000km from the Ecuadorian coast where we would spend the next 10 http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Ecuador/Galapagos/Santa-Cruz-Island/blog-770715.html Friday 281212 We woke early ate left over pizza for breaky and prepared for the short ride to the city of Banos nestled in the valley below a volcano that started erupting just a few weeks ago. With fingers crossed the bikes fired up and we hit the road. A short one hour ride ended up stretching towards two hours when we missed the turn off to Banos and wrongly guessed the next road wo http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Ecuador/Centre/Banos/blog-768488.html Monday 171212 We woke up with a grim mindset in preparation for the border crossing. However I had a more immediate problem to worry about my bike wouldnt start this morning. It wasnt even receiving enough power to kick the starter motor over so we immediately knew it was a dead battery. I pulled out my battery whose cells were all bone dry except of course for the inspection cell http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Ecuador/Centre/Riobamba/blog-767278.html Monday 31212 We were keen to get our first glimpse of Cartagena and our first sight of South America from the boat this morning unfortunately all I can say is it looked almost exactly like Surfers Paradise in Australia with a thin strip of beach and huge towering highrise hotels. But still being excited to be in South America we scoffed down our breakfast with the rest of the crew and http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Colombia/Ipiales/blog-765181.html Sunday 251112 Our first night in Panama was surprisingly quiet. Despite the lack of anything else satisfactory in this hotel the walls must be thick as we were not kept awake by any activities in the neighbouring rooms. Although just before we went to sleep there was an argument going on right outside our room which sounded pretty rowdy I opened the door and asked if everything was http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Panama/Panama/Panama-City/blog-761951.html Sunday 181112 After spending some time trying to communicate with the hotel workers young child and a strange conversation with a man wielding a Mormon bible we left town and rode towards the mist covered volcanic mountains. We had packed all our valuables into the bottom of our panniers as we knew we were heading into some remote areas and thought we might be at risk of some phony http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Puntarenas/Monteverde/blog-760426.html Saturday 101112 We rose to our first Nicaraguan morning and had a frustrating time trying to start my uncooperative bike. Once we were up and going it was a fantastic ride south. The roads here are the best since USA its a pleasure to ride without needing to worry about potholes missing roads or speed humps however the ever present dogs cows pigs donkeys and the occasional horse s http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Nicaragua/Southern-Pacific-Coast/Granada/blog-757650.html Tuesday 301012 Last night the hundreds of dogs that we see on the roadsides must have come to town to growl bark fight and chase each other all night long. Not to be outdone by the howling dogs running riot in the streets the many roosters spent the night joining in the chorus by wailing at the full moon. The dogs here are amazing but it is a hard place to visit if you are an animal lo http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Honduras/Bay-Islands/Utila/blog-755671.html Saturday 201012 We got up before the sun and headed to the most wellknown of the Guatemalan ruins Tikal. As we were on the road at sunrise there was plenty of wildlife I managed to brush a few feathers off a chicken with my bike. There was the most beautiful tarantula crossing the road luckily on a spot where we could stop. We ran back and snapped a few photos it was so stunning th http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Guatemala/Pacific-Coast/Monterrico/blog-753910.html Tuesday 161012 Our first night in Belize was everything that we expected hot noisy and exhausting. We awoke when the sun rose as our room had no curtains and trust me it rises early here they dont observe daylight savings. We walked up to the local dive shop which backs on to the main river of Belize City. Seeing the city in the morning at high tide is really something special. http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Belize/Belize-District/Belize-City/blog-752471.html Monday 8102012 On the way out of Palenque this morning we got stopped at a military checkpoint. Its usually no big deal as they normally ask a few questions and wave us on but not today. They made us open all our panniers and they made me totally empty one of them. One of the soldiers got all excited when he spotted a thick packet of satchels in the bottom of my food bag machine g http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Mexico/Quintana-Roo/Chetumal/blog-751507.html Sunday 300912 We woke up really early in preparation for a long day of riding packed up all our gear and tried to start the bikes. My bike started fine but Kenzs just kept clicking at us rather than starting. Unfortunately all the bike shops mechanics and most other stores are shut on Sundays so we just had to unpack the bike sit down and work it out for ourselves. The clicking noi http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Mexico/Chiapas/Palenque/blog-750301.html Saturday 220912 Last night was interesting. We slept in a clifftop house thats right next to a working lighthouse. The lighthouse was slightly down the cliff from the house which meant we were at exactly the same level as the top of the lighthouse. It was like someone was doing blockies in their car outside our bedroom window all night the lightshow would have made a good setting http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Mexico/Oaxaca/Oaxaca/blog-746796.html